The present invention relates generally to computer networks, and more specifically to a system for monitoring the occurrence of traffic offenses and providing photographic evidence of offenses for use by traffic enforcement agencies.
Enforcement of traffic laws is a major undertaking for law enforcement agencies around the world. Large-scale automated photo enforcement technologies provide powerful tools to modify unsafe driving behavior by educating communities that unsafe driving will be penalised. The most effective programs combine consistent use of traffic cameras supported by automated processing solutions that deliver rapid ticketing of traffic violators, with other program elements including community education and specific targeted road safety initiatives like drunk-driving enforcement programs and license demerit penalties.
Automated traffic law enforcement addresses the multi-billion-dollar problem caused by non-compliant driving behavior, such as speeding and red light running, illegal turns, and other violations. In the United States, such non-compliance has been estimated to account for about one-third of all traffic crashes and two-thirds of the resulting fatalities.
Over the years, crash statistics have deteriorated due to the ever-growing number of vehicles on the road and the increasing vehicle-miles traveled, and this situation is becoming a major concern of Federal, State and local authorities. Realizing that the option of intensifying conventional police enforcement is limited by manpower and budgetary constraints, authorities are now turning to automated enforcement to provide an effective alternative that also releases police for other enforcement duties.
Although certain countries have used photo-enforcement with some degree of success, current systems of traffic enforcement using photographic techniques have disadvantages that generally do not facilitate effective automation and validation of the photographs required for effective use as legal evidence.
Present methods of automated traffic enforcement typically involve the use of traditional 35 mm celluloid film based cameras and photographic techniques to acquire the photographic evidence of traffic offenses. Although limited success has been achieved with this present technology, many inherent limitations and poor efficiency outcomes limit the programs"" effectiveness. Tangible benefits of automated traffic enforcement in Australia and other user countries have been achieved despite the inherent limitations of wet-film-based traffic camera technologies. However, because such systems have been the only viable imaging system available for such use, widespread acceptance and implementation has not been achieved.
Ensuring the security and integrity of the original photographic evidence is also a major disadvantage of present traffic enforcement systems. The best film-based traffic camera programs in the world rely on a combination of strict physical storage procedures for developed film negatives, and sworn officer statements, to prove the validity of their evidence. Early digital camera protocols tended to mimic these procedures, as well, by requiring that digital images be stored on WORM diskettes or other hard disk media. Such protocols allow operators to hold xe2x80x98originalxe2x80x99 evidence in their hands and physically lock it away in the same way as they lock away xe2x80x98originalxe2x80x99 film negatives in film registries. While the solution may feel comfortable, these systems are susceptible to security breaches.
Developed film negatives do not hold truly original evidence. By the time the first negative has been created, there has been significant technical and human intervention during the collection, transfer and development processes. In addition, relying on the medium and protocols of storage as the only form of security is flawed, whether the evidence is being held in digital or film format. Time consuming though it may be, film negatives can be digitized, altered, and re-shot. There is no obvious way of knowing if this has happened because film technology, unlike digital technology, offers no inherent ability to construct an electronic audit trail on the life of an image that guarantees its authenticity from the moment of capture onward.
The same potential to alter digital evidence exists also. Without application of cryptography technologies images stored to disks can be copied and altered without detection. Under this scenario, no court would be able to tell the difference between original digital evidence and altered evidence. As with film, all that would be known is who has had the disk, when it was created and where it has been, provided these records are accurate. Thus present analog and digital photography methods of capturing traffic violation evidence do not necessarily implement adequate security measures commensurate with their use as legal evidence of a violation.
It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of photographic traffic violation monitoring systems.
It is a further object of embodiments of the present invention to improve the performance, reliability and overall economics of automated traffic enforcement programs.
It is a further object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a method of image authentication that is independent of the technology used to transmit, store and process the images.
It is yet a further object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a traffic violation monitoring and recording system that provides secure storage and transmission of photographic images of traffic violations.
A system for monitoring and reporting incidences of traffic violations at a traffic location is disclosed. The system comprises a networked digital camera system strategically deployed at a traffic location. The camera system is remotely coupled to a data processing system. The data processing system comprises an image processor for compiling vehicle and scene images produced by the digital camera system, a verification process for verifying the validity of the vehicle images, an image processing system for identifying driver information from the vehicle images, and a notification process for transmitting potential violation information to one or more law enforcement agencies.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from detailed description that follows.